Cholesterol screening for 11 year olds...seriously?

I was trying to stay out off the choesterol medication bandwagon, but when I read this I couldn't resist anymore.

http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2011/11/cholesterol-screening-guidelines-now-urge-kid-testing-by-11.html

"One third of children and teenagers in the United States are defined as obese or overweight, with minorities such as African Americans, Mexican American, and American Indian children experiencing disproportionately higher rates of obesity and an increased risk of diabetes and heart attack later in life By fourth grade up to 13 percent of American children already have abnormally elevated cholesterol levels..."

"Bottom line: Parents should support this new and expanded childhood cholesterol screening. The potential benefits include less heart disease and fewer heart attacks for your children when they turn 50."
—Joseph Mosquera, M.D.

I was wondering when this nonsense was going to reach our children.  Would someone please show me some real evidence where it says that high cholesterol is somehow related to heart disease.  (Besides the silly commercials you see on TV)

Here are some little known facts about cholesterol and statin treatment.

• "It's a documented fact that as many adults experience a mortal heart attack with a total cholesterol count under 200 as ever 300" -Medical World News
• "Half of patients who are admitted to hospitals for a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels" -Medical World News
• Framingham Study
• After 30 years of follow-up, researchers reported no increase overall mortality with subjects with high cholesterol for those over 50 years old.
• Falling cholesterol levels found to increase cardiovascular deaths.
• 14% increased death rate for each 1 mg/dl drop in cholesterol level.

These numbers were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Facts are stubborn things..." -John Adams

In 2004 Lipitor had more than 7 million prescriptions written which brought in $7.7 Billion.  Zocor brought in a meager $4.5 Billion.

These side effects to statins were published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs in 2008.

1. ALS or ALS-like syndrome
2. Atrial fibrillation
3. Autoimmune illness (MS, Lupus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis)
4. Cancer
5. Cataracts
6. CoQ10 depletion
7. Diabetes
8. Guilliain Barre (another name for polio)
9. Gynecomastia (Man boobs)
10. Heart Failure (Yepper!)
11. Hepatic dysfunction
12. Hyperkalemia
13. Hypertension
14. Inflammatory myopathies
15. Irritability/aggression
16. Liver pathology
17. Memory loss (over 50% of the dry weight of the cerebral cortex is cholesterol)
18. Myalgia
19. Myositis
20. New difficulty walking
21. Pancreatitis
22. Parkinson's disease
23. Peripheral neuropathy
24. Rhabdomyolysis
25. Renal insufficiency
26. Rippling muscle disease
27. Sexual dysfunction (Cialis anyone?)
28. Sleep difficulties (want some Ambien?) 
29. Tendinopathy
30. Thyroid disorders (Synthroid=70 million prescrptions)
31. Weight gain

Let's look at some things that cholesterol is good for.

• Precursor to Vitamin D production in the skin
• Necessary for fat and mineral absorption
• Integral substance for ALL cells of the body
• Forms the myelin sheath around all nerves
• Important for optimal functioning of serotonin receptors
• Important for optimal immune system functioning
• Necessary for the production of all the adrenal hormones

Here is some food for thought:  The CDC says that heart disease is responsible for over 600,000 deaths per year.  If Lipitor is the best selling drug in the U.S., and it decreases heart disease, why is heart disease still the leading cause of death?